


Cryin' to the Ocean

by aneurysmface



Category: Royal Pains
Genre: Implied Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-20
Updated: 2012-04-20
Packaged: 2017-11-04 00:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/387428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aneurysmface/pseuds/aneurysmface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hank worries about Evan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cryin' to the Ocean

Hank sighs as he shuts the door to the refrigerator. He pops the top off the beer he grabbed and takes a long swallow, closing his eyes and willing the stress he's been under to disappear. He knows it hasn't worked when he hears Evan's voice drift in through the front door.

“Alright. I'll see you tomorrow at noon, then. Yeah. Bye, dad.”

Hank doesn't say anything. He just leans against the counter and watches as Evan unpacks his things. First his laptop. Then a note pad and a pen. Finally out come the headphones and the iPod. Evan tosses the bag to the side of the couch he isn't using; it tells Hank that Evan just wants to be left alone. Hank knows this from experience. Evan's had almost the exact same routine every day since he was young. Except when they were little, it was a text book instead of a laptop and Hank's hand-me-down Walkman instead of the iPod.

On days when Evan was on good terms with his brother, the backpack always went on the floor, out of the way. Hank would take the seat next to Evan and help with his homework. Hank is the only reason Evan passed biology. And Evan is why Hank passed AP Calculus. It was a give and take.

But on days when Evan was angry, the bag went to where it was now. A clear message that he wanted space. Hank had almost always allowed Evan that. Today was no different. After a moment of silence, save for the sound of Evan's typing, Hank shifted away from the counter.

“I'm going up to check on Boris.” Evan doesn't even acknowledge that Hank has said anything.

“Right.” Hank finishes off his beer in three large gulps before sliding out the door.

He uses the walk up the lawn to think. He thinks about Evan and how this was all going to end horribly. Evan trusted people too easily, was willing to believe whatever story led to the happiest ending. Hank supposed he was at least partially at fault for that one because after their dad had left, he had been the one to keep Evan's hopes up that he would come back. His thoughts are cut off when he hears a familiar voice call his name.

“Boris.” Hank says as the man walks over to greet him.

“I was just on my way to pay you a visit.”

“Well, here I am. What can I do for you?”

“Nothing, actually. I was going to visit because you looked like you needed somebody to talk to earlier. I know your father being here has caused some tension between yourself and Evan and-”

“Look, Boris, I appreciate the offer, but there are some things a doctor doesn't discuss with his patients.”

“Then how about with a friend?”

“Boris...”

“At the very least Hank, join me for a drink. You obviously had some business to attend to with me or you wouldn't have been on your way to visit.”

“One drink.” Hank says, “and then I'm off the hook?”

“Hardly. But for now, yes.” Boris waits for Hank's nod of agreement, “After you, Doctor Lawson.”

Hank takes the lead going up to the house.

 

An hour later when Hank has his second serving of the best scotch he's ever tasted in his life in his hand, Boris asks him a question.

“Hank, may I offer you a piece of advice?”

“Well, I don't think I could stop you.”

“Don't fight your brother on this one.”

“I thought we weren't going to talk about this.”

“Too bad. And I assure you my reasons are purely selfish. This argument between you and Evan is starting to affect you at work. You aren't the same man I met at the start of the summer. You're still a brilliant doctor, but this business with your father has changed your attitude. Not so much between you and your other clients, but towards me at least.”

Hank is silent for a moment.

“Look, Boris, I'm sorry. It's just...” Hank sighs, unsure of how to finish his sentence.

“You don't want to see your brother get hurt.”

“Again.”

“That is a completely understandable position, Hank. But surely Evan R. Lawson, C.F.O. Of HankMed is old enough to make his own choices.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No 'buts', Hank. Sometimes you just have to let go. Even if _you_ won't forgive your father, don't keep him from Evan.”

“Evan's just setting himself up to get burnt.”

“Then you have to let him. I know it isn't in your nature to let anyone— especially those that you love— get hurt, but sometimes you have to burn yourself before you learn not to play with fire.”

“You sound like you're speaking from experience.”

“Another story for another time. Now, you still haven't told me what it was you wished to speak with me about.”

“Oh, it's nothing urgent. I just got a call back from one of the doctors whose number you gave me. He said that he's willing to talk with the others and he suggested a video conference. I agreed, so that's the next thing I need to set up. Do you have a space capable of having a nine-way video conference?”

“Not at present, but the main library could easily be converted to allow for one.”

“Good. Good, I'll cal him back in the morning and let him know.” Hank has to fight the yawn that's threatening him as he finishes his sentence.

“Hank...go get some rest.”

“I should.” Hank stands and stretches, “Thanks for the scotch.”

He downs the last of the alcohol and sets the tumbler on the table. He nods at Boris before he heads for the door.

“And Hank?” Boris calls just as Hank gets his hand on the doorknob.

“Yeah?”

“Keep what I said in mind.”

Hank just nods before he steps outside. It's late and if he hand been further away from the city, Hank would have been able to see the stars on his walk back. The night is unseasonably cool and he takes a deep breath, savoring the calmness surrounding him.

When he gets back to the guest house and slides the door open, the lights are out and the house is quiet. He makes his way to the staircase in the dark without banging into anything, though. Upstairs, he pauses in the hallway. Instead of heading straight to his room, Hank eases the door to Evan's open. There's just enough light from outside for Hank to see Evan's form curled up under a tangled sheet. Hank remembers moments just like this when they were kids. 

Right after Eddie R. left and Evan had taken to crying by the door, Hank had taken the responsibility of making sure that Evan got to bed at night. More often than not, Even would fall asleep by the door and Hank would carry him to the room they shared. But on the rare nights when Evan was still just barely awake, Hank would coax Evan back to their room and then he would watch as Evan fell asleep. 

Even rarer than those were the nights when Evan would ask for just one more hour to wait for dad to come home. And Hank couldn't say no. So they'd sit on the stairs by the door and trade stories of what life would be like when mom got better and what dad could possibly be doing that was so important he'd had to leave.

Then mom had gotten worse and they started spending their nights at the hospital instead of on the stairs. It was after the first time they'd had to shock mom back to life that Hank knew Eddie R. wasn't going to come back.

He and Evan had their first big fight a week after mom had died. Evan had called Hank a bastard and Hank had called Evan a child. Evan had stormed out of their grandparents' house and didn't come back for two weeks. It had given Hank enough time to realize how much everything had hurt Evan. He had spent the months mom had been in the hospital and dad had been gone listening to Hank say everything was going to be alright, and Evan had believed him. Because that's what little brothers do when their big brothers tell them something.

Hank knew he'd been Eddie R's favourite. And Hank knew exactly how much Evan had poured into everything he did trying to impress their dad and get the same approving look he had given Hank. Eddie walking out had been the last straw for Hank. Mom's death had been Evan's. After that, everything changed.

And now, maybe Evan has a chance to get that approval he had sought when they were younger. Hank sighs. It seems to be that there were still things he couldn't deny Evan. He shakes his head and smiles softly when Evan rolls onto his back and starts to snore softly. He backs out of the room and shuts the door before heading down the hall to his own bed.

 

The next morning when Hank wakes up, Evan isn't around. However, there is a note taped to the fridge in Evan's messy scrawl:

_“Hank,  
You watching me sleep as an adult is just slightly creepier than when you used to do it when I was a kid.  
-Evan._

_P.S.: Thanks.”_

Hank just smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the Tegan & Sara song "The Ocean."


End file.
